Hawks mum on investigation into how Bushiri escaped from SA, Motsoaledi tells Parliament

Home Affairs Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, says the investigation into how Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) leader Shepherd Bushiri and his wife, Mary, escaped South Africa is still ongoing.

The Bushiris are wanted in connection with a fraud and money laundering case to the alleged tune of R102 million.

The couple fled to Malawi just a few days after they were granted bail of R200 000 each – under strict conditions – in the Pretoria Central Magistrates’ Court in 2020.

‘Escape from court’

Providing an update to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on Tuesday, the minister said that his department did not have any records which show that the Bushiri left South Africa legally.

“They left illegally,” he said, before adding that the matter was being investigated by the Hawks since “it’s a criminal offence”.

ALSO READ: Bushiri’s great escape has everyone scratching their heads

“This matter of leaving the country illegally is a [crime committed] by somebody who was already charged by a court of law.

“In other words, it’s more of an escape from court as much as it is an escape from the country, so for that reason, relevant law enforcement agencies led by the Hawks are dealing with that work,” the minister said.

Motsoaledi last year confirmed that the Department of Home Affairs had the names of the officials who assisted the Bushiris with passports to enable their escape from South Africa.

Investigation report

Meanwhile, the minister further indicated, on Tuesday, that his department does not have access to what is contained in the Hawks’ investigation report.

“The Hawks have told me point blank that they will never reveal their findings of their investigation on how Bushiri escaped simply because it is part of their presentation in the court of law. Now that Bushiri has escaped the law says he must be extradited to come back and face the court case,” he said.

He said the department is seeking to retrieve the permanent residency documents that Bushiri obtained illegally.

RELATED: Home Affairs official fired over Bushiri’s SA residency appealing dismissal yet again

“On our side as Home Affairs, we have given [Bushiri] audi alteram partem papers before he escaped in terms of the law because we want get back his permanent residency papers, but he [then] rushed court [which] ruled that because he is still going to be charged they will only deal with the mater the day he appears in court again,” the minister continued to say.

“[With the extradition process going on], the moment Bushiri lands in South Africa, according to the Hawks, they will continue with their [fraud] case. They will [also] add another case of how he escaped, who helped him and by what mechanism then our case of acquiring those documents back from him will be opened.

“But for now I’m afraid the Hawks are [still] digging in and they will never give anybody information… we will hear for the first time all of us when it is presented in front of a judge,” Motsoaledi added.

Extradition

The Bushiris extradition process is currently ongoing with the Lilongwe Magistrate’s Court in Malawi ruling last month, that witnesses in the case can testify before any competent court in South Africa.

In her ruling, Chief Resident Magistrate Madalitso Chimwaza referred the matter to the Malawi High Court to have the procedure undertaken.

The witnesses’ testimonies will then be sent to Malawi to continue the preliminary extradition hearing, according to Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Malawi, Dr Steven Kayuni.

Malawi received the formal extradition request for the ECG church leader and his wife from the South African government on 5 December 2020.

NOW READ: Bushiri lawyers ask for magistrate’s recusal in extradition case